chapter 2
Tension filled the air in an instant.
Every eye in the room hovered between me and Isabella.
She was stunned for a second before she let out a disdainful chuckle.
Come on, Alexander. Everyone knows youve been my pathetic little lapdog for ten years. Theres no way you would marry someone else. My sisters have watched you grovel after me. They wouldnt want to marry you. Oh, right, my eldest sister hasnt seen much of your antics, since shes always sick. But shes not going to live for long. You really think your family would let you marry her?
I was just about to snap back and say that Sophia was exactly who I intended to marry.
Then, I remembered what William Montgomery, their father and head of the Montgomery family, had told me before.
I dont know why you suddenly changed your mind and chose Sophia, but shes about to undergo surgery. Lets keep it between us for now. We dont want anything disrupting her recovery, he had said.
I instinctively looked toward Sophia, who was seated in the distance in her wheelchair.
She looked deathly pale. She was so fragile that it seemed like a gust of wind might sweep her away.
William was right. She could not afford to be disturbed.
I had not interacted much with Sophia.
I remembered how things ended for her in the previous life.
Not long after I married Isabella, Sophia died alone in a hospice.
Since I had decided to marry her in this lifetime, I had to make sure she lived a long and healthy life.
Sophia looked at me. Her eyes briefly clouded with disappointment.
I offered her a reassuring smile and said, Youll find out soon enough.
Then, I turned and walked away.
As the party came to an end, Sebastian trailed closely behind me.
He raised his hand. The silver ring glinted as the light danced across it in soft colors.
Alexander, youre all pride and no bite, huh? Isabella told me that even though she marries you, Im the one she sees as her real husband, and Im the only one shed ever buy a ring for.
To everyone else, Sebastian was the perfect, well-mannered one charming and easy to like.
I was the only one who knew just how evil he really was.
In my previous life, he had shown up waving Isabellas ultrasound report in my face and smugly announced that my wife was pregnant with his child.
When I confronted Isabella about it, all I received was a dismissive smile.
Driven to the edge, I disclosed everything to both of our families.
My parents were furious. They sent Sebastian overseas on the spot and arranged a marriage for him.
Later, he and the heiress he was matched with lived happily.
I, on the contrary, spent the rest of my days enduring Isabellas hatred as I had driven the man she loved away. In the end, I died a miserable death.
So, in this life, I decided to let them get married.
I really wanted to see if they really loved each other as much as they claimed.
With that, I suddenly patted Sebastian hard on the shoulder.
Lets keep things simple, Sebastian. If you want to marry her, go ahead. In fact, when you tie the knot, Ill send you a huge wedding gift to wish you both a long and happy life together.
He froze for a second, then scoffed.
Come on, Alexander. You say that now, but I know youre still going to marry her in the end. I know you. Youre never going to stop chasing after Isabella. But you might as well give up. She only loves me.
I gave him a nonchalant nod and headed home.
Since I had decided to marry Sophia, I needed to prepare some gifts for her before the engagement.
I spent the next three days focused entirely on that.
During those three days, Sebastian did not come home even once.
He updated his social media with a new post every two hours.
The latest was a photo of Isabella in an apron. She was cooking steak in the kitchen.
Just as I was about to put my phone away, a text from Sebastian popped up.
[Alexander, you have never tasted Isabellas cooking, right? Shes been keeping me well-fed these past three days. And I dont just mean with food.]
The memory of catching them together in bed in my past life flashed through my mind instantly.
My stomach churned with nausea.
Fighting the urge to throw up, I simply replied, [Get lost!]
Then, I blocked him.